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What is the distance of the shortest path between the line y=2x + 12 and the point (5,3)?
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All you need to do is to find the distance from the point (5,3) to the given straight line y = 2x + 12.
Write equation of the line in EQUIVALENT form 2x - y + 12 = 0.
There is a remarkable formula which ideally suits for this problem.
Let the straight line in a coordinate plane is defined in terms of its linear equation
a*x + b*y + c = 0,
where "a", "b" and "c" are real numbers, and let P = (,) be the point in the coordinate plane.
Then the distance from the point P to the straight line is equal to
d = .
Regarding this formula, see the lesson
The distance from a point to a straight line in a coordinate plane
in this site.
Substitute the coefficients a= 2, b= -1, c= 12, = 5, = 3 into the formula to get the distance under the question
d = = .
Answer. The distance from the point to the line is = = 8.497 (rounded).
Solved.